Butler, Valparaiso vs. IUPUI

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, February 8. THE Valparaiso University women's swimming and diving team closed out the 2008-2009 regular season on Sunday afternoon, sweeping a double dual meet in Indianapolis, Ind. The Crusaders downed IUPUI 166-103 while defeating Butler 188-62. The Valpo men fell to IUPUI, 139.5-131.5.

The day started strong for the Brown and Gold with a six-second victory in the 200 medley relay, the first of 12 wins for the Crusaders on the afternoon. Shaunna Dangremond (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino H.S.), Amy Andracki (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect H.S.), Rachel Majercik (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant H.S.), and Laura Rickey (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville H.S.) touched the wall in 1:54.66.

Dangremond added two individual event beginning in the 50 backstroke with a time of 29.92 seconds, outtouching Butler by 0.17 seconds, while also winning the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:15.90, another 0.18 second win.

Andracki won by nearly a second in the 50 breaststroke with a time of 32.14 seconds. She also cruised to a seven-second win in the 200 breast with a time of 2:34.28.

Majercik posted a triumph in the 200 butterfly finishing in a time of 2:15.54 while Becky Crabtree (Mason, Ohio/Mason H.S.) went one-two in the 50 free with times of 25.37 and 26.35 seconds respectively. Majercik also won the 100 free by more than two seconds over Rickey in another one-two Valpo finish with a time of 54.43 seconds. Rickey turned in a time of 56.92 seconds.

Kristy Shew (Terre Haute, Ind./North Vigo H.S.) added a 41-second win in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 11:10.65, her season's best mark by nearly nine seconds.

Rickey also had a win in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:01.26, with teammate Grace Arnold (Glendora, Calif./Glendora H.S.) finishing second 1.42 seconds behind.

Arnold added a win of her own in the 500 free, posting a time of 5:24.75 while Stephanie Ferschl (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago H.S.) was second with a time of 5:25.34.

Karen Berg (Glendale, Ariz./Deer Valley H.S.) finished second in the 50 butterfly for the Brown and Gold with a time of 28.24 seconds, just 0.13 seconds off of the pace.

The Crusaders closed the meet with another win, this one by more than 11 seconds, in the 400 freestyle relay. The team of Shew, Majercik, Arnold, and Rickey posted a time of 3:42.27.

The men were led by David Sivak, who had three victories, (Hobart, Ind./Hobart H.S.), including a school record.

Sivak started his day in the 50 backstroke winning with a time of 25.12 seconds. He also won the 100 free with a time of 47.29, another season's best for a Valpo swimmer on the afternoon. He capped the trifecta with a time of 4:42.17 in the 500 free, setting a new school mark. He bettered Adam Jajtner's (Port Washington, Wis./Port Washington H.S.) record of 4:44.52 set in 2007. Jajtner finished second in the race with a time of 4:51.49.

Jajtner also posted the first win of the day in the 1000 freestyle with a 19-second triumph, touching the wall in 10:10.13, a season's best by more than four seconds.

Victor Sikorski (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler H.S.) added a win in the 50 free by more than a second with a time of 21.78 seconds and was second behind Sivak in the 100 free, turning in a time of 50.09 seconds.

Ansel Hillmer (Tampa, Fla./Hillsborough H.S.) added a win for the Brown and Gold in the 50 butterfly with a time of 24.52 seconds.

Blake Edwards (Orange, Calif./Lutheran H.S. of Orange County) had a runner-up finish in the 200 free for the Crusaders with a time of 1:48.16 while Kyle Verage (Hubertus, Wis./Marquette H.S.) added a second place finish in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:02.87.

Valpo closed the meet winning the 400 freestyle relay by more than four seconds as well as Jajtner, Sikorski, Edwards, and Sivak finished with a time of 3:14.66.

Valparaiso will have several weeks off now before heading to Milwaukee, Wis. for the Horizon League Championships which will take place February 25-28.